As soon as we had moored, the Chief, Prestrud, Johansen and I went up on to the Barrier on a tour of reconnaissance.  The ascent from the sea-ice to the Barrier was fine, a perfectly even slope.  When no more than a mile from the ship, we found a good site for the first dog-camp, and another mile to the south it was decided that the house was to stand, on the slope of a hill, where it would be least exposed to the strong south-easterly gales which might be expected from previous descriptions.  Up on the Barrier all was absolutely still, and there was not a sign of life; indeed, what should anything live on?  This delightful ski-run was extended a little farther to the south, and after a couple of hours we returned on board.  Here in the meantime the slaughtering of seals had been going on, and there were plenty to be had, as several hundreds of them lay about on the ice.

After the rather long sea voyage, and the cramped quarters on board, I must say it was a pleasure to have firm ground under one’s feet and to be able to move about a little.  The dogs evidently thought the same; when they came down on to the ice, they rolled in the snow and ran about, wild with delight.  During our whole stay a great part of the time was spent in ski-runs and seal-hunts, and an agreeable change it was.

Sunday the 15th was spent in setting up tents at the first dog-camp and at Framheim, as the winter station was named.  A team of dogs was used, and, as they were unused to being driven, it is not surprising that some lay down, others fought, a few wanted to go on board, but hardly any of them appreciated the seriousness of the situation or understood that their good time had come to an end.  On Monday all the dogs were landed, and on the following day the supplies began to be put ashore.

The landing of the cases was done in this way:  the sea-party brought up on deck as many cases as the drivers could take in one journey; as the sledges came down to the vessel, the cases were sent down on to the ice on skids, so that it all went very rapidly.  We would not put the cases out on the ice before the sledges came back, as, in case the ice should break up, we should be obliged to heave them all on board again, or we might even lose them.  At night no one was ever allowed to stay on the ice.

Before we reached the ice, we had counted on having 50 per cent. of idle days —­ that is, from previous descriptions we had reckoned on having such bad weather half the time that the Fram would be obliged to leave her moorings.  In this respect we were far luckier than we expected, and only had to put out twice.  The first time was on the night of January 25, when we had a stiff breeze from the north with some sea, so that the vessel was bumping rather hard against the ice.  Drifting floes came down upon us, and so as not to be caught by any iceberg that might suddenly come sailing in from the point of the Barrier we called Man’s Head, we took